This invention relates to a motor vehicle trailer and particularly to one adapted for transporting, unloading and loading marine craft.
Many boat owners store and transport their boats using a towed trailer. For larger boats, their size and weight makes them difficult for an individual to safely load and unload them between the water and trailer. In accordance with conventional designs, a trailer is provided with a forward located winch. The operator backs the trailer into the water and then slowly pays out the winch line enabling the boat to gradually slide into the water. When loading the boat, the process is reversed requiring the operator to operate the winch to pull the boat out of the water and onto the trailer which requires considerable effort. During the time that the boat is being loaded, another individual is needed to guide the boat to control its position on the trailer when being unloaded to prevent the boat from contacting nearby obstacles.
In accordance with the present invention, a boat trailer is provided which enables a single operator to load and unload even extremely large boats with ease. This invention would allow an individual to enjoy boating without requiring the assistance of others as is currently necessary. The above features of the present invention are achieved through the use of an extendible tongue trailer which enables the trailer to be backed deeply into the water in conjunction with a novel sliding mooring hook at the forward end of the trailer which supports and guides the fore end of the boat. A pair of upstanding guide posts support the sides of the boat to control lateral movement of the boat during loading and unloading. Additional aids for loading and unloading a boat and for aligning a trailer and car are also provided by this invention.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.